The writings of the English philosopher John Locke were very influential among America's Founders. Locke developed his ideas about government by imagining life in a state of nature, which is a state in which no laws or government exist at all. In a state of nature, all people have certain inalienable rights, but these rights were constantly in danger of being taken away, so people would naturally band together and form a civil society and later a government.

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The writings of the English philosopher John Locke were very influential among America's Founders. Locke developed his ideas about government by imagining life in a state of nature, which is a state in which no laws or government exist at all. In a state of nature, all people have certain inalienable rights, but these rights were constantly in danger of being taken away, so people would naturally band together and form a civil society and later a government.

Center for Civic Education

America's Founders were influenced by the English philosopher John Locke, who arrived at his ideas by imagining what life might be like if people were living in a state of nature.

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The American Founders learned about government from reading history and philosophy and from their own experience of self-government as colonists within the British Empire. The term "Framers" refers to the people who wrote the Constitution.

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American colonists considered themselves to be a self-sufficient, virtuous, and hardworking people. They valued their freedoms, and sought to protect them in their founding documents, such as the Massachusetts Body of Liberties of 1641.

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Not everyone in colonial America enjoyed the same opportunities to gain wealth or to become leaders. Native Americans, African Americans, white men without property, and women were typically not allowed to vote or hold office.

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The differences between the rich and the poor in the American colonies were less important than they were in Europe. Poor Americans could become wealthy, and a person did not have to be wealthy to hold a position in government.

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Most American colonists were descendants of British or Irish settlers, but compared to most European nations of the time, the colonists were quite diverse.

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Enslaved Africans were originally brought to the American colonies in 1619. As many as 7 million slaves were brought against their will into the American colonies during the eighteenth century.

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The early American colonists were remarkably self-sufficient.

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